Miguel Ferrer, star of NCIS: Los Angeles, dies at 61

Miguel Ferrer, who starred on CBS’s NCIS: Los Angeles, died of cancer Thursday at the age of 61. The actor passed away peacefully and surrounded by family in his home surrounded Thursday morning.

The son of Rosemary Clooney and Jose Ferrer, he started working in music before transitioning to acting. He played drums for a variety of bands and toured with his mother and Bing Crosby.

His 37-year acting career began with small roles on TV shows like Magnum P.I., CHiPS, and Cagney and Lacey, and appeared as Bob Morton in the 1987 movie RoboCop. In the 1990s, he played FBI Agent Albert Rosenfield on Twin Peaks, a role he reprised for the show’s upcoming Showtime revival. He later played Dr. Garret Macy on NBC’s Crossing Jordan, and, for the past five years, he has starred on NCIS: Los Angeles as Assistant Director Owen Granger.

Ferrer also lent his voice to several animated projects including Disney’s Mulan, where he voiced Shan-Yu, Superman: The Animated Series (Aquaman, Weather Man, and De’Cine), the popular animated series Young Justice.

“Today history will mark giant changes in our world, and lost to most will be that on the same day Miguel Ferrer lost his battle to throat cancer. But not lost to his family,” said George Clooney, Ferrer’s cousin, in a statement to EW. “Miguel made the world brighter and funnier and his passing is felt so deeply in our family that events of the day, (monumental events), pale in comparison. We love you Miguel. We always will.”

“Today, NCIS: Los Angeles lost a beloved family member,” said showrunner R. Scott Gemmill in a statement. “Miguel was a man of tremendous talent who had a powerful dramatic presence on screen, a wicked sense of humor, and a huge heart. Our thoughts go out to his wife Lori, his sons, and his entire family. He will be greatly missed.”